Shirt



Dec. 25, 1951 A. M. COOPER Em 2,579,550

SHIRT Filed oct, e. 1548 z Simms-51mm 1 2504K C00 67; 5g/? jefa/iz Dec. 25, 1951 A. M. cooPR ETAL SHIRT 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed OCC. 8. 1948 Patented Dec. 25, i951 SHIRT Arthur M.Y Co per a-nd Joseph Bening@ Chicago, Ill., assg'nors to. Town Fashions,` Inc.,` a corporation of Illinois 2 Claims.

This. invention relates: to` ay shirt. and particularly to av shirt worn inbowling. or other activitiesr Where. considerable. arm movement is required.. l

In` bowling and similar activities the violent and extensive movement of the arm causes con-Y siderable. strain to be placed on the back of ordinary shirts. A pleat or other expansible structure'hasbeen provided `in the. shirt back. to allow for expansion,.but these. pleats, were ordinarily located, near the. center ofthe shirts. and thus interferedwith lettering or the like-normally placed on the backs of athletic shirts such. as bowling.

shirts-to. indicate team names, the names of sponsors. advertising material andthe like. In thepresentinvention the shirt is provided with an vide. an improved pleat in the back portion of a shirt with this. pleatl being adjacent an arm hole for permitting` substantially free movement of, the, arm of thewearer and the pleat being formed of: overlapping folded material and opening outwardly and toward the adjacent arm hole.; another feature of theinvention is the provision of such apleat wherein the pleatextends below the.

bottcmof the arm hole; still another feature of the invention is the provision of such a` construction wherein the pleat hasits. top edge extending substantially straight across the fold and the bottom edge sloped upwardly and outwardly, and the preferred construction being one in which the topedge is attached to the back portion of the shirt. while the bottom edge is` unattached to this back porion except at the outer end of thebottom edge and the rear edge is unattached to theback portion except at the top of this rea-r edge; and a furtherA feature of the invention. is; to. provide such a pleat in the back portion. ofi a. shirt with this back portion being fbrmed of; a yoke. and a. depending portion of material joinedby aseam ata line below thetop of:l the;A arm holes, wherein the pleat comprises one;V piece or, materialintegral with the depending portion and turned inwardly normally to lie against the inner surface of the depending portion, and a second piece of material attached to the first piece at the top, bottom and inner edges thereof to form corresponding edges of the pleat'y andi extending beyond the. pleat to the arm, hole so that aportionof. theiedge of theY arm hole: is, formedv in this second piece of. material; the bottom of said second piece` of material; outside; said pleat being attached to the adjacent; sec tion of the depending portiom with the said top edgeof the pleat being straightand. attached at, said yoke seam, the bottom. edge` beingv sloped', up. wardlyT and outwardlyl and. unattached to the: back portion except. at the outer endf` of they boit-n tcm. edge,` and said inner edge. of theV pleatbeing' substantially straight and, unattached. toA the back, portion except at the top inner edge; Other featuresV and advantages of the invention willi be apparent from the following descriptiontaken1 in conjunction with the accompanyingA drawings; Of the drawings:

Fig.. 1. is` a frontelevation of a. shirt embodying: this i invention.

Fig. 2 is a rear elevation thereof.

Fig. 3` is a. fragmentary elevation` showing a. pleat from the inner side of the back of theishirtt and; the materialA adjacent saidv pleat.

Eig.. 4 is a fragmentary elevation similartoillig, 3l but showingl the assembled portions of thefshirt. forming the pleatprior. to thestitching thereof.,

Fig. 54 is a. fragmentary elevation showing the material blanks prior to` their asembly for formi.- ing a pleat, and the. adjacent portions ofthe; blanks. Y

Fig. 6l ist` a section takenalong line.` Se-B; of. Fig. 3.

The pleats` of` the shirt shown and; described. herein. permitfree movementof. the arm or armer of the. wearer: so. that substantially` no strain.. is; placed on the. backj of theyshirt. Thesepleatsfhave `a pleasing; apearance: and; are so;v constructed: that when thearmsV areal;v restthe pleats imme dia-tely assume their normal; shape.. soI that; the. back` of. the.4 shirt is smooth and even:` and; there;A is not gaping of the plea Inrthe.- embodiment of. the invention shown in. the acompanying: dra-wings the shirt includes. a. front portion l0. a back portionl l.f|' formed oli az: top; yoke-I las adapted to be: arranged across the shoulders ofgthe wearerl and. a, depending;` por-` tion IIb stitched to the bottom of the yoke lfla. and a collar` I3.

Located adjacent each` sleeve l2 isa pleatformed of overlapping folded material andv open-i ing outwardly, and towardV thearm holet to which` the sleeve is attached. Each pleat is preferably formed of one piece of material llc formed integrally with the depending portion I lb, with this piece of material turned inwardly normally to lie along the inner surface of the depending portion IIb, and a second piece of material I4 attached to the rst piece IIc. at the top. bottom and inner edges thereof to form corresponding edges of the pleat. This second piece of material I4 extends beyond the pleat to the arm hole I5, and a portion of the edge of the arm hole is formed therein. The bottom of the second piece of material I4 is attached to the adjacent section of the depending portion I Ib as by stitches I4a. The top edge I6 of the pleat is approximately straight and is attached at the seam between the yoke IIa and the depending portion IIb off'the shirt. pleat -is preferably sloped upwardly and outwardly, as shown in Fig. 3, and is unattached surface of the back portion; and a second piece The bottom edge vI'I of the to the depending portion IIb of the shirt except at the-right hand end of this bottom edge, as shownin Fig. 3. The inner edge I8 of the pleat is substantially straight and is unattached to the depending portion IIb of the shirt except at the top of .this inner edge where it joins the top edge I6. Ascan be seen in Fig. 3, the second piece of material I4 extends down and is unattached to the depending portion I Ib of the shirt.

The steps required in making one of the pleats are illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. As is shown in Fig: 5, the depending portion I Ib of the shirt is shaped with an outwardly extending piece of material IIc. This piece of material is provided with'a bottom edge I1 sloped upwardly and to the left when the piece IIc is fully extended, as shown in Fig. 5, and is adapted to be turned back upon the adjacent section of the depending portion IIb. The second piece of material I4 is placed over the piece of material Iic, as shown in Fig. 4, so that the adjacent outer edges of theselpieces are substantially aligned. The pieces of material IIc and I4 are stitched together, as shown in Fig. 3. to form the top edge IE, bottom edge'y IIA and inner edge I8 of the pleat. The second piece of material I4 is then attached to the depending portion IIb, as indicated at I4a, tcomplete the assembly. The arm hole I has a portion thereof formed inthe second piece of material I4, while the outer edge of. this second piece-of material is aligned with the outer` edge of-they depending portion IIb to form the side seam of the shirt, as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3.

It is believed obvious from the above description vthat the new pleats permit a considerable degree of movement without placing the back of the shirt under undue strain. Each pleat is relatively deep so that considerable movement may be accommodated and as the top and bottom edges of each pleat are straight, the pleat readily assumes its folded position when the arms of the wearer are at rest. The bottom edge I'I of the pleat gives additional freedom of movement because of its upward and outward slope. As each pleat, is formed of a part of the back portion vof the shirt and an additional piece of material attached thereto, the shirts are very simple and economical to manufacture. The new pleat construction of this inventio may be used on shirts, dresses, uniforms, and the like.

Having described our invention `as related'to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, it is our intention that the invntion be not limited by any of the details of descripf of material attached to the rst piece at the top,

bottom and inner edges thereof and extending beyond and outside said pleat to the arm hole, with a portion of the edge of the arm hole being formed therein and the bottom of said second piece outside said pleat being attached to the adjacent section of said back portion and to the adjacent section of said side portion, said top edge being straight and attached to said back portion', said bottom edge of the pleat being sloped upwardly and outwardly and free of thevbak pore' tion except at the outer end of the bottom edge, and said inner edge being substantially straight and .free of the back portion except at the top of the inner edge.

2. In a shirt or the like having an arm hole at either side thereof and'including a back por# tion formed of a yoke and a depending portion' of material joined by a seam at a line below the'` top of the arm holes, a pleat in said back por'fA tion adjacent at least one arm hole for permitting); free movement of the arm of the wearer and extending from said yoke seam to a point below; the bottomV of said arm hole, said pleat comprisV` ing: one piece of material integral with said depending portion and turned inwardly normally to be along the inner surface of the dependingf' portion; and a second piece of material attachedV to the rst piece at the top, bottom and innerL edges thereof to form corresponding edges of the pleat and extending beyond said pleat to the arm hole, with a portion of the edge of the arm hole being formed therein andthe bottom of said second piece outside said pleat being attached to the adjacent section of said depending portion. said top edge being straight and attached to said yoke seam, said bottom edge of the pleat being sloped upwardly and outwardly and free of the back portion except at the outer end ofA thebot-f tom edge, and said inner edge being substantiallyk straight and free of the back portion except at the top of the inner edge. ,A ARTHUR M. COOPER.

JOSEPH BENING.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the..

le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Michel June 28, 1949 

